Americans borrowed more in September to buy cars and attend college, but they charged less to their credit cards for a third straight month. The figures suggest that consumers are growing more cautious about taking on high-interest debt in a weak economy.
Total consumer borrowing rose $7.4 billion in September, the Federal Reserve said Monday. In August, it had fallen the most in 16 months. The September figures reflected a 5.8% increase in borrowing in the category that includes car and student loans. But the category that covers credit card purchases dropped 1% after larger declines in July and August.
Credit card use has fallen nearly 19% since September 2008, the height of the financial crisis. For many consumers, adding debt with high interest rates is too risky when jobs are scarce, pay raises are few and unemployment has been stuck near 9% for more than two years.
